


Write About My Home

by lilyjaguar100



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Adopted Sibling Relationship, Brother-Sister Relationships, Brotherly Love, Brothers, F/F, F/M, Ilvermorny, Ilvermorny House - Horned Serpent, Ilvermorny House - Pukwudgie, Ilvermorny House - Thunderbird, Ilvermorny House - Wampus, M/M, Original Character(s), Sibling Bonding, Sibling Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-02
Updated: 2020-11-10
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:20:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 5,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27352615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilyjaguar100/pseuds/lilyjaguar100
Summary: A house-stop and a less-than just try to make their way through school.Drystan Redgrave is just trying to do his best,Keith Vestine-October is just trying to stand out next to his siblings,and neither of them asked for this.╔═══*.·:·.☽✧    ✦    ✧☾.·:·.*═══╗Updates irregularly (I'm trying to work out a schedule, my bad!)✧ This story takes place in Ilvermorny, not Hogwarts, and is almost 100% OCs! ✧





	1. The Magic of Portkeys - Drystan

**Author's Note:**

> This story takes place at Ilvermorny, not Hogwarts, and is almost 100% ocs!

Ya know, I kinda expected people to stare as a family of five walked through a library with two people’s worth of luggage. Why they didn’t, I still can’t tell you. The feeling of expecting to be stared at and not being stared at is something I cannot describe.

“C’mon,” Dad hurried, “We’re gonna miss the Portkey!”

“Going, going!” Blaine responded, pulling his suitcase faster behind him. Blaine is my older brother, by the way. A second year at Ilvermorny, a Wampus. Decent at transfiguration, but that’s about it.

Mom nudged me slightly, urging me to walk faster. “Come on, come on now!”

“I’m going,” I whined.

“The Portkey leaves at 8:45!” Dad said.

“We get it!” Blaine retorted, “We get it, it’s only a couple more minutes of a walk, chill out!”

How in the world have people not started staring at us yet?

Finally, as if by magic, we reached the room we were looking for. A bunch of books on pedestals with family names on them. Mom barely even glanced at the other families around us before leading us to one of the books. It had a big piece of paper on the cover that read ‘REDGRAVE’ in a large, black permanent marker. I’m pretty sure that book was a copy of _Percy Jackson and The Battle of the Labyrinth_ , but I didn’t get to check.

Blaine put his hand on it, and I followed.

“Now remember,” Mom began, “Keep out of trouble, don’t forget your wands anywhere, don’t make friends with bad people, call or text us daily, don’t lose your things, whatever house you get into we’ll be proud of you--”

“We’ve got it, Mom.” Blaine smiled softly.

“Okay,” she sighed, “I’m just so proud of you, Drystan. You’re so grown up!”

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. “Thanks.”

“The Portkey’s gonna go soon!” Conroy piped up. (My little brother. Just a year younger than me, but _infatuated_ with magic).

“We’ll see you all later!” My older brother smiled, waving slightly. I did the same. I blinked, and I think that might have been a bad idea. I closed my eyes, felt something like a hook pull me from behind, and opened my eyes in a completely different location.

We were in a train station, filled with the other kids and families from the room in the library. I looked down. I was still holding my bags, and Blaine (right next to me) was still holding his. I looked back up to see those same kids casually holding up their train tickets and boarding the train. “C’mon,” Blaine prompted me.

The magic of Portkeys, right?


	2. A Name for Myself - Keith

“Hurry hurry hurry hurry!” Orion bounced on his heels as he jumped out of the car. “We’re gonna miss it, we’re gonna miss the Portkey!”

I have never seen this boy more determined in my entire time knowing him. But, he’s jumpy, and rightly so. (So am I, but I think he’s more jumpy than me).

“It doesn’t leave for another half hour,” Calli assured him, opening the trunk, “We have time. Russ, put your robes on.”

Russ grabbed his blue and cranberry colored robes from Calli’s hand as Marie--sorry,  _ Mom _ , started helping her get bags out. “I’m so excited!” She squealed, handing Orion a gym bag full of clothes, “Or scared. I’m scared, actually. All by myself this year!”

“I knoooow,” Russ whined, pulling out a TMNT suitcase, “We’re gonna miss you, Mom.”

“I’m gonna miss you all so muuch!” Mom hugged me tight, pressing my cheek against her chest.

“You’ll be okay,” Calli said, “You just gotta get used to Keith not being there.”

“But it took me so long to adjust to not having Russy!”

“You’ll have more time for your girl friends, Mom. I promise. Orion and I will keep a close eye on both of these little rascals.” My sister tossed me one of my various backpacks.

“I’ll be okay,” I smiled up at Mom, “I’ll miss you, but I’ll be okay.”

“Well lets get to the Portkey before we do sappy goodbyes, okay?” Orion said, bouncing a little bit, “We’re gonna miss it if we stand around too much longer.”

“We have thirty minutes!” Russ closed the trunk door. “What’s your deal, dude?”

“I have friends, Russ.”

“So do I!”

“Well I miss mine!”

“You think I don’t?”

“Stop arguing, boys,” Mom patted Orion’s head, “Let’s go so we can show Keith the Portkey.”

Orion took the lead through the library, somehow finding a small room with people in it. There were pedestals in rows with books on them, with pieces of duct tape on the little stands. Upon closer inspection, the tape had surnames on it. The first piece had A-L, and the pieces below those ones had M-Z. Russ found the one with ‘October’ on it.

“Do we wanna be safe?” Calli asked me. I nodded. She tapped Moms shoulder. “We’re gonna go make sure we can’t find Vestine.”

“Okay!” She smiled, leaning down slightly to kiss me on the forehead. “If you find it, Russ and Orion will meet you at the station, okay?”

“Okay,” I said.

“Bye Mom,” Calli waved a little, leading me farther down the rows to the V’s. It didn’t take long to find Vestine. I sighed. “We’ll get that changed soon,” Calli pat my head, “Don’t worry about it.”

“I’m not worried,” I said, “I can be a Vestine for as long as necessary. I don’t mind.” I did, actually, mind. A lot. It sucked to have it rubbed in my face all over again that these people weren’t my biological family. Keith October sounded  _ way _ better than Keith Vestine anyways.

She shook her head, “As soon as I graduate, I’m gonna vouch until we get it changed. I don’t like seeing my little brother have a different surname than me.” She glanced at her phone, then put her hand on the Portkey. “About a minute left.”

I followed suit, putting my hand on the copy of  _ The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place _ and closing my eyes, bracing myself. I felt the familiar pull of the magic right behind my stomach, the flash of white light, and the sudden sound of pops all around me. I opened my eyes, and was relieved to find the same train station that Calli and Orion had described to me so many times.

It was time to make a name for myself.


	3. I'm Going to be Okay - Drystan

After handing my luggage off to one of the many Pukwudgies around the station, I followed Blaine onto the train. Most of the compartments were open, although some had wrappers or dirt in them from the kids that were on before us. Eventually I stopped following him and just plopped myself in a compartment, as he was clearly looking for his friends. And I dunno about you guys, but I was not about to spend my whole train ride with my older brother and his two friends.

“C’mon, Keith!” I heard a voice outside my compartment, “They’re up here.”

“Okay!” Another voice, presumably Keith, responded. Two figured raced by the door, and two others poked in the compartment across from mine. One of them sat, the other just stood in the doorway. I heard them talking idly to each other.

“You’re not  _ actually _ gonna spend the entire year on their tails, right?” A male voice asked.

“No, of course not,” said a female voice, “I have better things to do than watch them.”

“Agreed,” said the male voice, before opening the door to my compartment. He looked down at me through a mop of hair that was too blond to be red, but too red to be blond. He looked a couple years older than me.

_ Oh God.. _

“Oh,” he said, “hey. Mind if I sit here? My friends and I normally use this compartment.”

“Oh, yeah, of course!” I stood, “I can leave if you want!”

“No no, you’re good.” he sat down in the seat across from me. “You’re a first year, right?”

I nodded a little, slowly sitting back down. “I am.”

“I could tell, you looked kinda spooked.” he smiled a little, offering his hand for me to shake. “I’m Orion, by the way. Fourth year, Horned Serpent.”

“I’m Drystan,” I said, shaking his hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Same to you, Drystan.” Orion leaned against the back of the seat, “Are you an only child or?”

I shook my head. “I’ve got two brothers. One’s a second year.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“My little brother’s a second year. What house is your brother in?”

“Wampus, I think. What about yours?”

“Thunderbird. The adventurers.”

I nodded a little. “So, the houses have associations, right? Like adventurous Thunderbirds?”

“They do,” Orion said, “I take it you don’t know?” I shook my head. He sighed a bit. “Well, for starters, Wampus favors warriors, it represents the body of a witch or wizard. Thunderbird favors adventurers, it represents the soul. Horned Serpent, my house, favors scholars and represents the mind. Pukwudgie favors healers, and represents?”

“The heart?” I guessed.

“Bingo,” he smiled at me, “You catch on fast.”

“Well there was kind of a pattern going, so I just assumed--”

“‘Rion!” exclaimed a happy, high-pitched voice from the door.

“Hey, Nat,” he stood, happily embracing the girl that had shown up at the door. “It’s been a while.”

“I’m here too!” said a male voice from behind them. I looked down a bit, twiddling my thumbs.  _ Cue being forgotten, yet again _ ..

“What’s up, Zayne?” Orion must have hugged him too, before he and Nat entered the compartment. “You two, meet Drystan. He’s a first year.”

I perked my head up at my name. Nat looked me up and down and Zayne smiled at me.

“What’s up, little man?” he asked, plopping himself right next to me. “Name’s Zayne. And this here’s Nat.”

“Hey.” Nat said absently.

“It’s nice to meet you.” I replied.

Maybe I was actually going to be okay here.


	4. Comfortable Here - Keith

After handing off most of our luggage (I kept my Pygmy Puffskein, Buttermilk’s cage close in hand), Russ led me to a compartment near the middle of the train. Inside it was a boy about the size of Russ, with platinum blond hair and a warm smile. He looked like he had just sat down.

“Blaine!” Russ exclaimed.

“Russ!” The boy said back, standing and grinning wide.

“Oh Gods, it feels like it’s been forever!” My brother hugged Blaine tight, and I could feel the positive energy radiating off of them.

“I know!” Blaine’s voice was warm and attention-drawing, not because it was loud, but the energy of his words just kind of drew attention. He pulled away from Russ and looked down at me, smiling still. “Oh, you must be Keith!”

I nodded a little. 

“I’ve heard mount’s about you,” he offered to shake my hand, “I’m Blaine, I’m a friend of Russ’s.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Blaine.” I said, shaking his hand hesitantly. (Fair warning, I know I was very shy and polite back then. Or, back when this story was happening. I’ll call a lot of people my age mr/mrs/ma’am/sir throughout this story!)

“Mister?” He cocked his head a little at me.

Russ nudged me. “Don’t mind ‘im,” he said, “He’s too well-mannered for his own good.”

“I can tell,” Blaine chuckled. “He’ll get adjusted quick.”

“I know,” My brother agreed, flopping himself down on the chair. I slowly sat down next to him, setting Buttermilk’s cage at my feet. “Where’s Lucas?”

“Heck if I know,” Blaine shrugged, pushing his blond hair out of his face, “I hope he didn’t miss the Portkey..”

“Rude of you to assume that my time management is  _ that _ bad.” Interjected a third voice. I immediately recognized it as Lucas, a longer-term friend of Russ. They’d known each other before I was even told the Octobers existed.

“There you are,” Russ chided.

“Hey, Keith.” Lucas smiled at me, almost forcing my eyes to lock with his shockingly hazel ones.

“Hi, Lucas.”

Lucas flopped down in the seat next to Blaine, his messy mop of brown hair flopping with him. He was lanky-er than the rest of us, much longer and his limbs were kind of disproportionate in length. Blaine was a bit blocky-er and Russ was just broad. Kind of a football player-type body. Lucas let his eyes roam around the compartment before landing on Buttermilk’s cage. “Oh!” His eyes lit up, “Is that your Puffskein, Russ?”

“It’s Keith’s Pygmy, actually,” Russ said.

“Her name is Buttermilk,” I confirmed.

“Dude, I love Puffskeins!” Lucas grinned.

“You’re allergic,” Blaine reminded him. Lucas just shrugged.

“They’re still flippin’ cute. I love her fur, by the way. Really pretty yellow.”

“Thanks.” I felt my cheek burn a little bit. Lucas liked to compliment me.

I felt really comfortable here.


	5. Cats and Pygmies - Drystan and Keith

**Drystan**

I don’t like cats. Nor did I like Zayne’s cat specifically rubbing up all over me once the train started moving. I hadn’t even started the school year and I already had calico cat hair all over my robes. And it’s name was Bubbles, who names their cat Bubbles?

“--And then there’s the wand ceremony,” Orion continued, “Where you get your wand. They’re all like, laid out on a table and you can choose one and wave it around--”

“Hold on,” I interjected, “You’re just gonna leave the sorting ceremony like that?”

“Well, yeah,” he shrugged.

“Are you kidding me? Reacting statues, that’s so cool!”

“Weren’t you raised magical?” Nat raised an eyebrow at me.

“I was,” I tilted my head up as Bubbles nuzzled my chest again, “But my parents weren’t incredibly worried about us knowing stuff about Ilvermorny. They were more concerned with magic laws and interactions with No-Maj.”

“I feel bad for No-Maj,” Zayne remarked, “I can’t imagine living without magic. It’s so convenient.”

“And powerful,” Orion added, “Some people just aren’t meant to have it. It’s a responsibility, ya’know.”

“I know, but, still. Makes you think, right? Like, how do these people live without self-cleaning pots or self-knitting knitting needles?”

“They do all those things  _ themselves _ ,” Orion sat up straighter in his seat, as if acting defensive, “They’re not less-than because they don’t have magic.”

“I didn’t say that,” Zayne raised his hands in defense.

“Chill, ‘Rion,” Nat put her hand on his shoulder, “You don’t have to get all defensive.”

He huffed and flopped back in his seat. Zayne glanced over at my lap, where his cat had contentedly fallen asleep. “Bubbles seems to like you, little man.”

“Really?” I said sarcastically, looking down at the cat, “I hadn’t noticed.”

╔═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══╗

**Keith**

“So you just hexed her?” Russ was leaning forward in his seat, and it almost looked like there were stars in his eyes. In all honesty, I probably looked the same.

Lucas had a smug grin on his face, nodding. “Bat-boogey hex, yeah.”

“Eww!” Blaine laughed a little, “Dude, you can’t bat-boogey hex your sister!”

“Sure I can,” Lucas said, “And I did. It was funny, too.”

“That sounded awesome!” I said.

“It did,” Russ leaned back, resting against his seat, “God, I can’t believe I forgot to get your numbers last year.”

“I know,” Blaine agreed.

“Let’s exchange while we’re thinking about it,” Lucas pulled a notepad out of his blue and cranberry colored robes, fishing for a pen in one of his many pockets.

“I can give you my home number,” Russ said, “Keith and I aren’t allowed to have phones until we’re 13.”

“Really?” Blaine wrinkled his nose, “Kinda old school.”

“Not everyone’s rich and northern like you, Blaine,” Lucas handed him the pen and notepad.

“Iowa isn’t northern,” he grumbled.

“I’m peckish,” Russ stood up, “I’m gonna go find the snack stay Wanna come, Keith?”

“Sure,” I stood up too, putting Buttermilk on my shoulder. Russ almost skipped out of the compartment, very clearly hungry. We walked down the aisles, peeking into a few of the compartments to see if we recognized the students inside. We waved at Orion and his friends, and knocked on the one across from it.

Calli slid the door open. “Oh, hey.”

“Do you know where the snacks are?” Russ asked.

A voice from behind Calli answered. “Wrong end of the car. If you go to the other side you’ll find the bar with the lady.”

“Thanks, Mae!” Russ took off in the other direction. I waved to Calli and Mae before following.

We returned to the compartment with our arms full of candy, dumping it all onto the seat next to Blaine. Buttermilk jumped off my shoulder and onto the pile, snaking her long, light pink tongue around a fully-wrapped Pumpkin Pasty and swallowing it. She then skittered across the compartment to Lucas, as if nothing happened.

“ _ That _ was cool,” he breathed.


	6. Ilvermorny Castle - Drystan

Once the train finally stopped, Zayne somehow got Bubbles off of me and we got off the train. I tried my best to stick with my new friends, that was, until I heard a teacher calling for first years. “You can just head over there,” Orion assured me, “Professor Littletree won’t hurt you. She’ll take you on a little tour around the school before the sorting. Catch ya later!”

In all honesty, I didn’t quite expect him to skip away, but he did. I hesitantly walked over to the small group of kids that were seemingly my age, surrounding a grey-haired teacher. Orion mentioned having a younger brother in my year, so I started scanning for the same red-blond hair among the crowd. It was a very particular shade, very hard to miss, but I must have missed it. 

“Is that all of you?” Professor Littletree clapped her hands together. “Perfect! Alright, welcome, new students. Welcome to Ilvermorny! You’ll be spending your school years here until you turn eighteen and are able to navigate the world of magic independently!”

_ Whoop de do.. _

I followed the crowd as we began to walk forward, tuning out the professor and listening to my own head. The scenery of Massachusetts wasn’t what I expected, I mean it looked the same as any other mountain top. Looked a lot like the Great Smokies, actually..

There were so many clouds, so much fog. I like fog, but jeez, this was a lot. My mom used to tell me that they magically increased the fog to keep the castle out of sight of No-Maj, since they didn’t need to know we existed. 

Now, just for a second, let’s talk about No-Maj. Non-magical people, right? Now us American wizards live in harmony with No-Maj, although some people don’t particularly like that. Other people, like Orion, fight against the segregation. That is a problem that continues to arise throughout a wizards life. Whether or not you were raised magically is a very similar issue, but I think that one just kinda ties in with the No-Maj issue. For those wondering, I, personally, have no problem with No-Maj. I have no issue with people who can’t cast spells or make things do things on their own. I was raised magically, but I think the No-Maj are cool, actually. Their technology is pretty advanced and does some pretty neato things.

Anyways, back to the part people care about.

The castle was  _ nothing _ like Blaine said it was. It didn’t even look like how you expected a castle to look. It only had about six towers, and its main component was a large, circular building, from which stemmed two of the towers. 

The Sorting Room.

The small crowd of 11 year olds continued walking down the beaten path, following Professor Littletree’s perky steps. Murmurs and awed whispers drifted in the clouds above our heads. I heard a pair of students talking quietly to each other just ahead of me.

“--Thunderbird,” said the boy, “But I think I’m more of a Pukwudgie.” His hair was a dusty brown, about the same color as dried dirt.

“Me too,” agreed the girl. She was small, about five or so inches shorter than the boy. Her black hair looked  _ incredibly _ thick. “Being a healer sounds better than being an adventurer anyways.” I snickered a little, and the boy must have heard me. He turned to look in my direction, and I just barely caught his eye.

They were the brightest shade of green I had ever seen. I’m not sure if it was out of fear or humiliation that I looked away. Seriously, though, they were  _ green _ . Like, greener-than-grass green. I glanced back to see if I could catch a better look at him, but he had already turned away and disappeared into the crowd with his companion.

“Alright, first years!” Professor Littletree exclaimed, “Who’s ready to be sorted?”


	7. Not-Alone-Buddy - Keith

Lucas handed Buttermilk back to me as the train gradually came to a stop. I followed Russ onto the station platform, eventually running into Calli and Mae.

“Just go over to Professor Littletree and the other first years,” Calli ruffled my hair, “She’ll lead you inside. Good luck, little buddy.”

“Thanks!” I said, handing her Buttermilk in her cage and going where directed. The crowd at this point was very small, only about five of us standing around the professor. I glanced around a little, eventually finding a girl who looked very very lost. She was small, definitely five ish inches shorter than me. And her black hair looked  _ incredibly _ thick..

“Hey,” I said, making her start a little, “Are you okay?”

“Y-Yeah,” She stuttered, her eyes locked on me, “I’m, uh, lost..”

“Are you a first year?”

“Yes..”

“Then you can just stick with me!” I smiled at her, “Do you have any friends here?”

“No,” She looked down a bit, “I don’t.”

“I’ll be your friend,” I offered.

She perked up, “You will?”

“Yeah,” I said.

“Cool!” she hesitated, “What exactly do friends do?”

“Keep each other company.”

“Like.. kinda like a not-alone-buddy?”

I blinked. “Uh.. yeah, I guess. Not Alone Buddies.” She giggled, smiling wide now. “What’s your name, Not Alone Buddy?”

“I’m Ayva,” She said, “What’s yours?”

“Keith,” I stuck my hand out to shake hers. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too, Not Alone Buddy!”

We talked for a couple minutes longer before Professor Littletree started walking towards the school. It was  _ very _ foggy. Like, a lot of fog. Ayva ended up asking why there was so much and I had to explain the whole keeping-it-from-the-No-Maj thing.

One of the most common misconceptions is that American wizards don’t live amongst/engage with No-Maj. We do. You might even be able to say that we live more in harmony than the British do with their No-Maj (they call them ‘muggles’, don’t they?). Not a lot of American people actually have problems with No-Maj, but you get your fair share of racists anyways. It is America, after all. It’s actually not uncommon to find wizards born from No-Maj, like Ayva and myself.

Oh yeah, for anyone who’s still unclear, I’m adopted. My bio parents were both non-magical, Dad’s in federal prison for things I won’t get into and Mom’s dead. I was taken in by the Octobers at around six or seven, so I’ve only been with them a couple years.

“What house do you want to be in?” Ayva asked as we got closer to the castle.

“I’m not entirely sure,” I said, “My brothers think I’m a Thunderbird, but I think I’m more of a Pukwudgie.”

“Me too,” she nodded, “Being a healer sounds better than being an adventurer anyways.”

I heard a small snicker from behind us. I turned my head to see who it was, and a boy with black hair quickly turned his head away. I think he was listening to us. I turned back to Ayva, opening my mouth to continue.

“Alright, first years!” Professor Littletree exclaimed, “Who’s ready to be sorted?”


	8. Housing - Drystan and Keith

**Drystan**

The Sorting Room was  _ huge _ .

The knot in the middle and the statues and the balcony, it was all so much bigger than I thought it would be. I could feel the tension in the air, the anticipation from the older years up on the balcony. Blaine was waving to me. I directed my attention back to the statues.

They all stood rather menacingly, looking down at all the first years with some kind of accusations in their eyes. We stood along the walls of the room, our backs pressed against it as the headmaster called names from the balcony. I wasn’t listening when he called the first name, but I know now who it was, and I regret not originally paying attention.

“Gemini Acampora.”

A curved girl with bright pink hair slowly stepped forward, walking until she stood in the middle of the gordian knot on the floor. Her hair almost seemed to go pinker as she stood. Then, right before all of us, the statues shifted slightly. They seemed like they were assessing her.

╔═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══╗

**Keith**

I felt  _ awful _ for that girl standing in the middle of the floor. She looked scared out of her mind. But, after a few seconds, we all flinched as the Wampus statue let out a large roar. Gemini was then directed to a hallway between the Thunderbird and Horned Serpent statues.

“How long until you go?” Ayva whispered from beside me.

“Probably a while,” I whispered back, as the Thunderbird flapped its wings, “I’m a V.”

“Aw, okay. I’m an S, so I’ll wait for you!”

I smiled. “Thanks.”

Student after student went to stand in the middle of the room. The Thunderbird would flap its wings, the Wampus would roar, the stone on the head of the Horned Serpent would glow, and the Pukwudgie would raise it’s knocked arrow to the sky.

“Drystan Redgrave.”

Ayva and I watched as that same boy from before walked to the middle of the room. We all stood silent, but everyone held their breath when the Wampus roared, illuminated by the Horned Serpents light.

╔═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══╗

**Drystan**

_ Two of the statues were reacting _ .

_ What?! _

I felt my body get hot, and my breath caught in my throat. Everyone in the school seemed to stare at me.

“Mr. Redgrave,” The headmaster said from his stand, “You are left with the choice.”

“Ch-.. choice?”

“You may choose Wampus, house of the warriors,” he gestured to the Wampus statue, “Or you may choose Horned Serpent, house of the scholars.”

_ “Wampus favors warriors, it represents the body of a witch or wizard.”  _ Orion echoed in my mind, _ “... Horned Serpent, my house, favors scholars and represents the mind.” _

“Horned Serpent,” I said.

I heard a small clap from above, as if Orion was high-fiving Nat or Zayne. I was led to a large hall, and was stood with the Horned Serpents, about five or six other students. They were talking amongst themselves, so I didn’t chime in. A few minutes went by before the girl and the boy from earlier stood next to each other with the Pukwudgies. A few more minutes went by before the headmaster made his way ahead of us again.

“Now that you have been sorted into your houses,” he said, “Who’s ready to receive a wand?”


	9. Lucky - Drystan and Keith

**Keith**

The headmaster led us into a long room, lined with long tables. On the tables sat wand after wand, no two looked alike. I could almost see the individual power and magic radiating off each and every one. The headmaster talked for a couple minutes, but the gist was that we would go around the room and wave the wands around until we found  _ the one _ .

Kinda ominous, if you ask me.

But, as soon as he was done, all the kids around me flooded into the room, blocking the view of the tables with their blue and cranberry robes. Ayva glanced at me, before we walked side-by-side over to the tables. The wands were each their own, some had handles carved in, some didn’t, some had knobs or crevices, or even in-carved designs. And each one had a label in front of it.

“Red oak, kelpie hair core, twelve and a half inches..” My not-alone-buddy murmured, picking up the wand and waving it idly. Blue sparks and a loud  _ crack _ came from the wand, sending a whiz of color at the wall. She slowly put it back down. “Okay, nevermind then.”

“One of my brothers said he just kind of levitated towards his,” I told her, “The other said he just walked around until one didn’t.. Destroy things.”

“Then let’s just walk around,” She said, “See if one of them calls to us or something.”

╔═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══╗

**Drystan**

I may not have known much about houses, but wands and spells were something I was particularly proficient in. Even though I didn’t have a wand prior to this day, I had spent a lot of my time using Blaine’s old textbooks to study spells and wand making.

I tried to hover around the longer wands, seeing if one called or reacted to me. (The longer the wand, the more adaptive the wizard). I cycled around almost half the room before anything happened. Well, anything besides sparks and spurts of electricity or fire flying by my head. Towards the back wall, one wand seemed to glow with a deep orange kind of color. I wandered over to it and read the label to myself. “Larch, Rougarou hair core, ten inches..” Rather short, but no matter. I picked it up gently.

It was rather stout, with a small piece that wound around it and split into three pieces at the top end. It was almost as if it split into three heads. It was a light-ish brown, but the small handle at the bottom was about two shades darker. I pointed it at the small label and recited the simplest spell I could remember.

“Wingardium Leviosa.”

A small strand of white shot from the wand and picked the paper foldable off of the table, letting it hover about three inches in the air. I smiled and set it down, taking it into my hand instead and going back to the entrance of the room.

╔═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══╗

**Keith**

“How does he know a spell already?” Ayva whispered harshly in my ear as we watched the raven-headed house stop walk nonchalantly back to where the teachers were waiting.

“I don’t know,” I admitted, “Maybe it was just his wand being cool?”

“But he said something!” She turned back to put down the wand she had picked up. I shrugged, picking up the wand next to me and waving it. It didn’t do anything. I went to put it back down, but.. I didn’t want to open my hand. 

It felt like if I put it down, I would lose.. Something. I read the label in front of where the wand was. Willow, Snallygaster heartstring core, 14 ½ in.

“Found yours?” Ayva asked, snapping me out of my head.

“Yeha, I think so.”

“Lucky..” She sighed.


End file.
